Saturday, September 24, 2016

After an eventful twelfth season and the start of an even more promising thirteenth season, Grey’s Anatomy is still going incredibly strong. With ethical and criminal issues amuck, you might be wondering how we got here. Here’s a quick recap of the drama-filled end to last season: when we left our favorite TV doctors, Dr. Alex Karev had nearly beaten Dr. Andrew DeLuca to death after mistakenly thinking he stumbled in on his girlfriend — Dr. Jo Wilson — and DeLuca having intimate relations on the night of Drs. Owen Hunt and Amelia Shepherd’s wedding. On the same day, Dr. Ben Warren was forced to perform an emergency C-section on Dr. April Kepner in Dr. Meredith Grey’s house. Dr. Nathan Riggs and Meredith also secretly hooked up, which is a problem due to her sister, Dr. Maggie Pierce, having a major crush on Riggs. So, if that wasn’t enough drama, then you’re in luck — because that’s only the beginning of the season premiere.

OFF TO THE RACES

The season premiere begins just hours after the May finale. We see scenes of a severely beaten DeLuca arriving to Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital via ambulance, with Alex at his side, while the rest of the doctors are enjoying Owen and Amelia’s wedding reception. Just when everyone thought they could have a happy moment, calls start coming in that DeLuca was brought to the hospital in awful condition. Meredith receives a call from a hysterical Jo and rushes to her apartment. Jo, who is still drunk, isn’t quite sure what happened, but knows enough for Meredith to realize what happened after she sees that the place is a disaster with blood splattered across the floor.

Meredith immediately leaves for the hospital to confront Alex about what she hopes isn’t true. Alex reveals his side of the story and asks for Meredith’s help. While teetering on the line of her professional and personal obligations, Meredith is faced with one of the toughest dilemmas the show has seen. She is obligated to tell Dr. Miranda Bailey, chief of surgery, that Alex is responsible for assaulting DeLuca. However, with her bond with Alex stronger than ever, Meredith is unsure of how to protect her best friend from himself, the police, and the impending downfall of his career.

IT'S TIME TO GROW UP

Grey’s Anatomy is known for having its episodes revolve around specific themes. The premiere showed us a theme that isn’t typically used but couldn’t be more appropriate. Over the years, we have been able to watch the doctors grow as people, and in their careers, through endless trials and tribulations. They started on the shows as mere medical school graduates and have blossomed into attendings, hospital owners, and parents. Every character has had their arc grow and grow, but none more than Alex.

When we met Alex in the series premiere, he was an arrogant, cocky boy who thought he ruled the world. He has grown into a talented, kind-hearted, caring man who thinks more of others than himself. His work as a pediatric surgeon definitely changed him for the better, but he reverted to his old, aggressive self by attacking DeLuca. Meredith tells Alex several times throughout the episode that they can’t run away from their problems anymore and that they need to tell the truth and accept the consequences like adults. She aptly says that it’s time to grow up, which is a theme that may last for a good chunk of the season.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

By the end of the episode, Alex turns himself into the police for aggravated assault as Meredith tells Bailey the truth. Both characters have grown up a bit, even though it undoubtedly will lead to consequences for them. The biggest questions revolve around what will happen to Alex. Will he be found guilty of assault? Will he lose his medical license? If found not guilty, will Bailey fire him? It’s unlikely that everything will be revealed in one episode. This is a storyline that could easily be dragged out for a while in typical Grey’s fashion. Nevertheless, it will be extremely interesting and emotional ride.

Alex isn’t the only character that should bring questions to your mind. Meredith has been caught in a web of lies by the viewers, which the characters will certainly learn of soon enough. It appears that Meredith is only trying to protect everyone from the harmful truths that emerge, but she’s only going to hurt herself and her reputation in the long run.

What did you think of the season premiere? Sound off in the comments below!